As I grow older, my neuroses become more and more apparent to me. Apparently everyone else has known about them for quite some time.

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Fear Less

For every second of a mountain bike video where there is a
cyclist perched on the edge of a cliff, there is a MTB chic like me.

A babe on a bike who’s scared and sweaty; gripping
the handlebars with white knuckles under purple gloves even as she gears down
so she can chase her badass Fear-less friend through the forest trails.

That girl?You know
the one?

That girl, who is so totally focused on not crashing that
she sometimes she forgets she is having fun?The one who is concentrating on every single root, bump, rock, dust mote
and mole hole as she negotiates her way through the trails?

That girl is me.

And you know what?

I don’t even mind being that girl.

I’m not particularly good at the sport, but every time I go
out and do it, I love it.I find it to
be invigorating and so unlike anything I’ve ever done before in my life.

Even though it’s just like riding a bike, and
I used to race BMX as a kid, this is not like riding a bike.

It’s dangerous feeling, but it’s empowering too.It’s dirty and sweaty and all
the things that we are taught that girls shouldn’t be.There are cuss words and giggles, at the same
time.

My tires pop and crunch on the roots and rocks.They slip on loose gravel when I don’t expect
it, and when that happens on a hill, it feels like the back end of the bike is
vanishing from under me.At least two or
three times today I caught a root and it caused my front wheel to turn in a
direction I wasn’t expecting.That was a
little frightening.

I could hit a tree.

I could wreck.

I could trust myself.

I could fear less.

And that’s what I did today.

I hate being scared as much as the next girl, but I must
love it too because I had to try to do everything I came upon today.Every obstacle vanished behind a giggle or a muttered curse word.Even better, I successfully “didn’t
die” while trying to put it together into something that looked and felt an awful lot
like FUN.

I’m sure that there was a wrinkle in my brow for a lot of
today’s ride.I know I was so focused on
what was in front of my tire that I likely missed much of the beauty of today’s
adventure.

I am just as certain that I was smiling throughout the ride,
even when I had to put my foot down so I could just keep going.

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About GBA GF

I'm a mother of 3 kids, and I stayed at home until they all went to school. A few years ago I decided to go back to college so that I can have a job I actually want instead of a job that I'm "stuck with" due to lack of skills. Now I'm a nurse, working full time, and I love it.
I like to write. I find peace when I draw. I meditate during my swim. I enjoy my ride. I love my run. A freaking lot. (Like a heroin addict loves H.)
I have run a lot of races, and while I'm super proud of the marathon that I finished in Dec '11, I'm equally proud of the 5K I finished in April of '08.
I grew up in Virginia Beach, and people always act like that's a big deal. "Wow, that must have been great". No, not really. It's not like I lived on the beach. I did try surfing once, but only once. Fortunately my nose wasn't broken...
~Savor the Run~

Incase of Emergency - BREAK GLASS

GARMIN FORERUNNER 305 Owners ~ Garmin Non-responsive? "nurse g." just wants to remind you that often a soft reset is as easy as holding the MODE & RESET buttons simultaneously for about 10 seconds. Let go of those two buttons, press the power button, and the unit will turn back on.

Defining GBA**

"...And I smiled to myself as I thought of EXACTLY what I would say when he asked me how I was feeling. I mean here I am.

I’m at frickin mile 23 1/2 of a marathon. I’m crushing my PR. I’m running with my POSSE. I have stopped to (unsuccessfully) vom on the side of the course. Yup. I knew what 2 words I would say.... at mile 24 Q dropped the other group, and I was rewarded for my patience. 'How you doing?' 'Galactically BadA$$'."